this morning on "early today" -- still no deal. president obama says enough is enough in debt negotiations while moody's puts the u.s. on notice. excessive force. three tennessee officers come under fire after a brutal beating is captured on dash cam video. and an affair to remember. a michigan woman files a lawsuit after her whirlwind facebook a michigan woman files a lawsuit after her whirlwind facebook romance goes south. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello and good morning. i'm lynn berry. this morning we begin with boiling point. budget negotiates at the white

house grew heat yesterday as lawmakers failed again to compromise on spending cuts and tax hikes as part of a plan to raise the debt ceiling. all of this as moody's investor service puts the country's stellar credit rating under review. kristin dahlgren joins us with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. just when you thought it couldn't get any uglier, word of the tensest talks yet at the white house. republican house majority leader eric cantor is saying the president said to him, eric, don't call my bluff and then stormed out of the meeting. now, democrats say those reports are overblown. they admit the president did say, enough is enough, and he urged lawmakers to stop the political posturing and do what's right. both sides say the president has set tomorrow, friday, as a deadline to figure out some way to move forward. as stakes grew a little higher yesterday when the nation's top credit reporting -- rating agency, rather, moody's said it

could strip the u.s. of aaa rating if no deal is reached. what about senator mcconnell's plan? that was praised by democratic senator harry reid. also by republican senator john mccain. but criticized by a lot of other republicans. they will be back at the table again today for the fifth straight day, lynn. >> see if they can make any progress. kristin dahlgren, thank you. rupert murdoch is feeling the financial and political fallout from a phone-hacking scandal. given pressure from england's parliament, murdoch dropped his $12 billion bid for full ownership of a british pay tv company in the wake of allegations that employees at his now shuddered "news of the world" hacked into voice mails and bribed police for stories. the scandal now spans two continents with congressman peter king, chairman of homeland

security committee, called for the fbi to find out if murdoch's news corp. tried to illegally obtain phone records of 9/11 victims. authorities in india are still searching for the culprits behind wednesday's deadly bombings that left at least 18 people dead and 133 more injured. residents are still shaking up after coordinated explosions that rocked three separate neighborhood in mumbai during rush hour wednesday. the attacks came just months after india resumed peace talks with pakistan. so far, no group has taken responsibility for the bombings and indian officials are not speculating on who may have been behind the blasts. secretary of state hillary clinton says she will proceed with plans to visit the country next week. now, here's a look at other stories making news "early today" in america. a video from a dash cam has three tennessee sheriff's deputies in hot water.

they took down an alleged intoxicated man and then repeatedly punched, kicked and tased him. the man was handcuffed and half naked, officers claim he was resisting arrest. all three officers have been placed on administrative leave. an attorney in louisiana is being forced to answer some tough questions. after surveillance video showed him fighting in a bar located in the town he represents. the attorney said he was defending himself and sued the bar for lack of security. the owners countersued, saying the attorney's bar tab was unpaid. in ohio, a 19-year-old champion stacker is leading the charge to have sport stacking recognized in collegiate athletics. at seventh ranked sport stacker in the nation has organized his school's team and hopes to get other universities to start up teams which hope -- which he hopes eventually will lead to

college scholarships. finally in texas. taxidermists are helping family members. families are having their deceased pets preserved. the process takes more than two weeks but more than a few are jumping at the chance to keep a watchful eye on their pets in their afterlife. now for a look at your national and regional weather, a guy that has something to say about this, nbc meteorologist bill karins. >> to each their own. whatever makes you happy. >> through go. >> you want fido next to you, stuffed -- >> who are we to judge? >> exactly, who else? good morning. yesterday's the heat we turned up in areas of texas. 103 in dallas yesterday. back up into the 100s in oklahoma city. we noticed we got a break from areas around louisville to d.c., still 93 in d.c. but not quite

the humidity levels. today is much better throughout this region. the problem area, once again we're shifting everything to the middle of the country. a little dip in the jet stream in the northeast. also the big dip in the jet stream in the west. that forces this ridge just to grow and increase in the middle of the country. this is where the heat's going to turn up. also the humidity, too. already excessive heat watches in areas around kansas city and tulsa. everywhere in yellow today, a heat advisory. that's not too bad. the worst is going to come in the days ahead. for today, we're going 103 in oklahoma city. 102 in dallas. 100s widespread from texas up into kansas. a little positive part here, notice it's much better, only 80s and low 90s in the southeast with rain this afternoon. that's a look at your national forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. today i want to talk about absolutely gorgeous conditions. you have to just love this weather pattern from d.c. northwards up through new england, back into the great lakes and ohio valley. some of the best summer weather

of the season. i almost feel guilty saying how nice it's going to be in some areas. >> i won't make you do that. big ben boosts stocks. oil bubble's up and what not to wear this summer on the job. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, he pushed a friend to do it for his country. on now he's been asked himself. will he come through? the u.s. women punch their ticket to the world cup final. and what would you rather have, a world series ring or your own baseball card? how about both? you're watching "early today." >

back to "early today." i'm lynn berry and and here are some top head rhines. a new reuters/ipsis polls have mitt romney leading michele bachmann in a head-to-head

match-up 24% to 23% among republicans and independents. in michigan the remains of former first lady betty ford have arrived at ford presidential museum where she will be laid to rest at a private funeral. last night hundreds of mourners paid their respects during a public viewing. a poll by the pugh research center finds most western europeans believe china will overtake the u.s. as world leading power despite europeans' doubts about americans power, the poll finds the u.s. still retains a positive image. in southwestern china heavy rains have triggered landslides and flash flooding, stranding residents and causing extensive power outages. no injuries have been reported. finally, this might make you think twice about a social networking romance. a detroit area woman is suing a washington state man for more than $8,000 in damages after a six-month romance sparked over

facebook went bad. she claims misrepresentation and defamation of character and seeking to reclaim money spent on gifts and travel. now here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. two studies from africa have shown for the first time aids drugs designed to treat hiv can also be used to dramatically reduce the risk of infection among heterosexual couples. growing evidence suggest medicine described since the mid-'90s to treat those already infected may hold the key to slowing or even halting the spread of the sexually transmitted disease. for more information on this and other health stories, you can check out the health page at msnbc.com. >> announcer: "early today" health is brought to you by vagisil watch with comfort clean. now an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12491 after gaining 44 points yesterday.

the s&p was up 4 points. the nasdaq rose 15. taking a look at overseas trading, tokyo the nikkei fell 27 points but in congress hong the hang seng added 13. a hint of another boost from the fed helped stocks to a three-day slide wednesday but those gains were challenged after the bell by a threat to the u.s. credit rating. moody's investors service announced it might cut america's aaa rating due to rising chances the debt ceiling may not be raised in time to avoid default. that sent stocks diving in late trade. earlier in the day stocks flew after congressional testimony from fed chief ben bernanke suggesting the fed would consider additional stimulus measures. two previous stints of the fed buying hundreds of billions in bonds, which finished in june, was supposed to lead to expansion and jobs. about the only clear thing it led to was a sustained rally in

stocks. so, the mere suggestion the fed was considering another round led the three majors higher. energy and material shares were the top gainers. gold and copper jumped 2%. oil was up, settling once again over $98 a barrel. scandal battered news corp. was most active on the nasdaq. up almost 4% after giving up its pursuit of total ownership in a major english pay tv network. jpmorgan chase and google both slated to deliver earnings tomorrow, slightly higher. after the bell yum brands rose on better than expected profit it's and a boosted outlook. after closing, despite posting healthy results, marriott international fell. finally, according to a national survey, when it comes to summer work attire, flip-flops are the number one don't. with mini skirts coming in

second, followed by strapless tops. good advice for you there. the u.s. women's hopeful march toward world cup soccer glory, a late goal in the second half against france gives them a lift they'll take all the way to the finals. early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. and once again, the heat is going to build in the middle of the country. this is the least thing they need. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." in sports, america's world cup women's team has definitely won over the nation. suddenly, people that didn't know a free kick from a corner kick a few days ago can't wait to see them take on their next opponent. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines. hi there, good morning. every few years the nation stands up and takes notice of usa soccer. it happened last world cup for the men and now all eyes are on the women. facing france, usa strikes first, cheney scores. france would tie the game in the second half. about 20 minutes later team usa takes the lead once again off the corner and stop me if you've heard this before, abby wambach,

header and goal. americans up 2-1. in the blink of an eye they add some insurance. alex morgan, cool, calm and collected waits for the goalie to go down and chips it up and over. the u.s. runs past the french and into the finals with a 3-1 win. >> i know that we're going to pull through. i just have a belief in this team. and everybody feels it. we had to play nearly perfect. they obviously got a goal on us. in the end we're in the finals and that's all that matters. >> i knew from the very beginning we were going to find a way to win. that's this team's mentality. we do it for our country. we do it for our nation. it's our mentality. we're going to win. >> when they did, the u.s. will play japan in the world cup final. that game sunday at 2:00 eastern. finally, we've been telling you about yankee fan christian lopez who is in financial trouble after the team gave him tickets and memorabilia in exchange for derek jeter's 3,000th hit ball. facing thousands in taxes for the gift items, lopez was given a $25,000 check and a 200 9

world series ring courtesy of the modell's sporting goods store and will get a percentage of sales. miller brewing company stepped up paying whatever tax he will have to pay. coolest, he's getting his own baseball card. no word if bubble gum will be included. that's a look at sports today. >> things turned around for him. what is next for lady gaga? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, you want to be like them, right? no, you really, truly want to be like them? if so, have we got the place for you. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this thursday morning to "early today." in minnesota, bring your umbrella. it's raining in many areas from st. cloud about to get wet. mm, another hour and showers will arrive. back to sioux falls, we have tlaks. kansas city could get a storm. down to the southeast, maybe heavy rain today, late afternoon thunderstorms. if you're watching us on wnwo nbc 24, toledo, ohio, bring your chairs and picnic blankets and enjoy cool jazz on a hot summer night at jazz in the garden at toledo botanical garden. >> thanks so much. here's an early look at this morning's headlines in

entertainments. there are reports that makes perfectly weird sense. the design here created princess beatrice pretzel hat reports lady gaga wants to be his intern. access hollywood reports mila kunitz must back out on her date because of filming. remember how justin timberlake prodded her to accept? it's his turn. corporal chelsea posted her own youtube video calling out timberlake asking him to come to the marine corps ball with her? will he do his patriotic duty? >> pressure's on. >> he has to. >> see what happens? you get spun around. >> he said specifically, have you to do this for your country, to kunitz. he will hopefully fulfill that commitment.

we said, somebody else is going to be going online and post these videos to get a date because have you to say yes now. >> timberlake will go. i have faith. this comes to us from wsls 10 on your side in roanoke, virginia, where nearby campers are getting a real life lesson in wizardry and magic. kids from all over the country are getting to live out their harry potter fantasies at hogwarts summer camp. >> lynn went there. >> i'm a dwrad wagraduate. it mixes science where they can mix up real life potion. they know the film franchise is reaching con conclusion but they say with camps like this, the magic will never end. i'm lynn berry, this is "early today."

4:28 is our time right now. and you're going to love it when you step outside this morning. what a refreshing change. we have 69 degrees right now. good morning, i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm eric gilchrist in for eun yang. >> we begin with breaking news out of kandahar, afghanistan. a bomb attack at the funeral of president hamid karzai's brother. a roadside bomb exploded just yards from a motorcade for a local governor. officials say two soldiers were injured. the president's half-brother ahmed wali karzai was

assassinated earlier this week. congressional leaders will resume talks with president obama on increasing the nation's debt limit. that's a day after the president walked out of the room during a contentious meeting. he apparently became angry with republicans who demanded that he accept a short-term debt limit increase. he told gop leaders he would veto any short-term fix and then threatened them not to call his bluff. republicans still refuse to accept any plan that includes a tax increase. president obama has given lawmakers until tomorrow to decide whether they can reach a deal. he may also call congressional leaders to camp david for a summit this weekend. here's an indication of just how much is riding on these debt talks. moody's investor services is threatening to lower the u.s. credit rating. it says there's a slight risk the government will default on its debt. if the country's credit rating is downgraded, interest rates would likely spike, meaning it would cost you more for mortgages, car loans and other debts. it could also push the u.s. into another recession. ou